Historical Tales, Vol. 9 | Page 6

men could have
lifted it.
Who had killed the serpent and earned the reward? The jarl sent a
mandate throughout his kingdom, calling all men together, and when

they came he told them the story of the snake's death, and bade him
who possessed the handle of the spear to present it, as he would keep
his word with any one, high or low.
Ragnar and his men stood on the edge of the throng as the broken head
of the spear was passed round, no one being able to present the handle
fitting it. At length it came to Ragnar, and he drew forth the handle
from his cloak, showing that the broken ends fitted exactly. A great
feast for the victor was now given by Jarl Herröd, and when Ragnar
saw the loveliness of Tora, he was glad to ask her for his queen, while
she was equally glad to have such a hero for her spouse. A splendid
bridal followed and the victor took his beautiful bride home.
This exploit gave Ragnar great fame and he received the surname of
Lodbrok, on account of the strange coat he had worn. Ragnar and Tora
lived happily together but not to old age, for after some years she took
sick and died, leaving two sons, Erik and Agnar, who grew up to be
strong and beautiful youths. Ragnar had loved her greatly and after her
death said he would marry no other woman. Nor could he comfort
himself at home but began to wander abroad on warlike voyages, that
he might drive away his sorrow.
Leaving Ragnar Lodbrok to his travels, let us take up the strange story
of another fair maiden, who was to have much to do with his future life.
She was named Aslög and was the daughter of King Sigurd Fafnisbane,
of Germany. Soon after she was born enemies of her father killed him
and her mother and all of his race they could find. Her life was saved
by Heimer, foster-father to her mother, who to get her away from the
murderers had a large harp made with a hollow frame, in which he hid
the child and all the treasure he could find.
Then he wandered far as a travelling harper, letting the child out when
they came to solitary woods, and when she wept and moaned silencing
her by striking the strings of the harp. After long journeying he came to
a cottage in Norway called Spangerhed, where lived a beggar and his
wife. Seeing a gold bracelet under Heimer's rags, and some rich
embroidery sticking from the harp, the beggar and his wife killed him
during the night and broke open the harp. They found in it the wealth

they sought, but the discovery of the pretty little girl troubled them.
"What shall we do with this child?" he asked.
"We will bring her up as our own, and name her Kraka, after my
mother," said his wife.
"But no one will believe that ugly old people like us can have so fair a
daughter."
"Let me manage it," said the wife. "I will put tar on her head so that her
hair will not be too long, and keep her in ragged clothes and at the
hardest work."
This they did and little Aslög grew up as a beggar's child. And as she
kept strangely silent, never speaking, all people thought her dumb.
One day, when Aslög was well grown, Ragnar Lorbrok came that way,
cruising along the Norway coast. The crew was out of bread and men
were sent ashore to bake some at a house they saw in the distance. This
house was Spangerhed, where Kraka dwelt.
She had seen the ships come up and the men land, and was ashamed to
be seen by strangers as she was, so she washed herself and combed her
hair, though she had been bidden never to do so. So long and thick had
her hair grown that it reached to the ground and covered her
completely.
When the cooks came to bake their bread they were so surprised at the
beauty of the maiden that they let the loaves burn while looking at her,
and on being blamed for this carelessness on their return to the ship
said they could not help it, for they had been bewitched by the face of
the loveliest maiden they had ever gazed upon.
"She cannot be as lovely as Tora was," said Ragnar.
"There was never a lovelier woman," they declared, and Ragnar was so
struck by their story that he sent messengers ashore to learn if they

were telling the truth. If it were so, he said, if Kraka were as beautiful
as Tora, they were bidden to bring her to him neither dressed nor